AMD Radeon 540 vs AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score, the AMD Radeon 540 or the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100?

A: The AMD Radeon 540 has a higher average benchmark score of 7673, versus 6330 for the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100.

Q: How do the two cards compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is substantially faster in Geekbench OpenCL, posting a score of 17642 compared to 6184 for the AMD Radeon 540, a 64.9% advantage.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference between the two?

A: The Radeon 540 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 32-bit bus with 24.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the Pro WX 4100 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 96.00 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards use the same architecture?

A: Yes, both are built on GCN 4.0 architecture and use the 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 has 1024 shading units, while the AMD Radeon 540 has 384 shading units.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100?

A: The launch MSRP of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is 399 USD. The Radeon 540 has no recorded launch MSRP in the database.

Architecture Differences

Both the AMD Radeon 540 and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 share the same fundamental GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. Despite this common base, the two chips are distinct silicon designs with different configurations.

The Radeon 540 uses the Lexa chip, while the Pro WX 4100 uses the Baffin chip. The transistor counts differ notably: the Lexa packs 2,200 million transistors on a 103 mm² die, while the Baffin contains 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. This translates to a transistor density of 21.4M per mm² for the Radeon 540 and 24.4M per mm² for the Pro WX 4100.

The execution resources are heavily skewed toward the Pro WX 4100. It features 1024 shading units and 64 texture mapping units, versus 384 shading units and 24 TMUs on the Radeon 540. Both cards have 16 raster output units.

Clock behavior differs as well. The Radeon 540 has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, while the Radeon Pro WX 4100 runs at a 1125 MHz base clock and 1201 MHz boost clock. Memory clocks are identical at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective) for both.

Memory subsystems are a major dividing line. The Radeon 540 offers only 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 32-bit bus, yielding 24.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pro WX 4100 quadruples the capacity to 4 GB on a 128-bit bus and quadruples bandwidth as well, at 96.96 GB/s is not a valid figure, the correct value is 96.00 GB/s. The recorded texture rate for the Radeon 540 is 28.39 GTexel/s, while the Pro WX 4100 reaches 76.86 GTexel/s, a direct consequence of the higher TMU count and clock speed. Pixel rates are closer: 18.93 GPixel/s for the Radeon 540 versus 19.22 GPixel/s for the Pro WX 4100.

FP32 throughput tells the same story. The Radeon 540 delivers 908.5 GFLOPS, while the Pro WX 4100 delivers 2.460 TFLOPS. Both support FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, with the same respective figures of 908.5 GFLOPS and 2.460 TFLOPS. Both cards operate at a 50 W TDP with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W, on a single-slot form factor on PCIe 3.0 x8.

Feature coverage is nearly identical in API support. Both expose DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. Display outputs differ in number and type: the Radeon 540 provides 2x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the Pro WX 4100 provides 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Pro WX 4100 also has recorded dimensions of 168 mm (6.6 inches) in length and 69 mm (2.7 inches) in height.

The Verdict

The choice between these two cards depends heavily on workload type, and the data splits accordingly.

For raw compute throughput, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 is the clear winner. It leads the Radeon 540 in Geekbench OpenCL by 64.9% and in Geekbench Vulkan by 51%. It also offers four times the memory capacity, four times the memory bus width, and four times the memory bandwidth, along with more than double the shading units and TMUs. Its FP32 performance of 2.460 TFLOPS is more than 2.7 times the Radeon 540's 908.5 GFLOPS (the ratio is not a direct ratio, but the gap is substantial). For professional workloads that stress compute, texturing, or large datasets, the Pro WX 4100 is the superior option.

However, the average benchmark scores tell a different story. The database's average benchmark score favors the Radeon 540 at 7673, placing it at the 41st percentile of all GPUs. The Pro WX 4100 sits at 6330 average score and the 37th percentile. The Radeon 540's average score of 7673 places it 1.2% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 and 1.5% above the AMD Radeon R7 250, while sitting 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. The Pro WX 4100's average score of 6330 places it 0.1% above the AMD Radeon R7 M350 and 0.8% above the NVIDIA Quadro K620, while sitting 0.9% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M.

This creates a paradox of sorts. The Pro WX 4100 wins every head-to-head benchmark recorded in the database, yet its average score is lower. This is explained by the benchmark coverage: the Pro WX 4100 has recorded scores in many more tests, including Passmark DX9 through DX12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute, and its Geekbench Metal score of 21018. The Radeon 540 only has recorded Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores. The Pro WX 4100's broader test coverage drags its average down relative to its strong compute results.

For users seeking a card for modern compute and graphics tasks where OpenCL and Vulkan matter most, the Pro WX 4100 is the stronger part. For users looking at the database's overall average as a proxy for general performance across a wide range of legacy DirectX and general-purpose tests, the Radeon 540 appears to hold up better. The Pro WX 4100 is the more capable card in compute-heavy scenarios, and the data confirms it. The Radeon 540 benefits from being a simpler, lower-configuration part that punches above its weight in the tests it does have recorded. The Pro WX 4100 is the one to pick for professional compute workloads.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category.

| Specification | AMD Radeon 540 | AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 |

|---|---|

| Chip | Lexa | Baffin |

| Transistors | 2,200 million | 3,000 million |

| Die size | 103 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor density | 21.4M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Base clock | Not recorded | 1125 MHz |

| Boost clock | Not recorded | 1201 MHz |

| Memory size | 1024 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory bus width | 32 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 24.00 GB/s | 96.00 GB/s |

| Shading units | 384 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 24 | 64 |

| Pixel rate | 18.93 GPixel/s | 19.22 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 28.39 GTexel/s | 76.86 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 908.5 GFLOPS | 2.460 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 908.5 GFLOPS (1:1) | 2.460 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Display outputs | 2x DisplayPort 1.4a | 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a |

| Release date | 2017-04-19 | 2016-11-09 |

| Predecessor | Arctic Islands | Radeon Pro GCN |

| Successor | Vega | Radeon Pro Vega |

| Launch MSRP | Not recorded | 399 USD |

| Dimensions (length) | Not recorded | 168 mm (6.6 inches) |

| Dimensions (height) | Not recorded | 69 mm (2.7 inches) |

Shared specifications include the 14 nm process node, GlobalFoundries foundry, GCN 4.0 architecture, 1500 MHz memory clock, 6 Gbps effective memory speed, GDDR5 memory type, 16 ROPs, 50 W TDP, single-slot form factor, no power connectors, 250 W suggested PSU, PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3, and end-of-life production status.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two head-to-head benchmark comparisons between these cards, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 wins both.

In Geekbench OpenCL, the Pro WX 4100 scores 17642 against the Radeon 540's 6184. The delta is 64.9% in favor of the Pro WX 4100. This substantial gap reflects the underlying hardware differences: the Pro WX 4100 has 1024 shading units versus 384, a 128-bit memory bus versus 32-bit, and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth versus 24.00 GB/s. The FP32 throughput difference, 2.460 TFLOPS versus 908.5 GFLOPS, also feeds directly into OpenCL compute performance.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the Pro WX 4100 scores 18703 against the Radeon 540's 9162, a 51% advantage. The Vulkan gap is slightly smaller than the OpenCL gap, but still decisively in the Pro WX 4100's favor. Both cards support Vulkan 1.3, so the difference is purely a matter of execution resources and memory throughput.

Beyond the direct head-to-heads, the Pro WX 4100 has additional recorded benchmark scores that the Radeon 540 lacks. Its Geekbench Metal score is 21018. Its Passmark scores are 16 in DirectX 10, 24 in DirectX 11, 22 in DirectX 12, 56 in DirectX 9, 646 in G2D, 3699 in G3D, and 1475 in GPU compute. These scores show a card that is far stronger in compute than in legacy DirectX rasterization, which aligns with its professional positioning. The Radeon 540 has no recorded scores in these tests, making a full comparison impossible.

The overall average benchmark scores add context. The Radeon 540's average of 7673 is 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti's 7723, 1.2% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100's 7580, 1.5% above the AMD Radeon R7 250's 7557, and 1.6% above the Intel Arc A310's 7550. The Pro WX 4100's average of 6330 is 0.1% above the AMD Radeon R7 M350's 6327, 0.8% above the NVIDIA Quadro K620's 6282, and 0.9% below both the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, each at 6389.

The data indicates that the Pro WX 4100 is the stronger compute card in every recorded head-to-head metric, while the Radeon 540 holds a higher aggregate average score due to its narrower benchmark footprint and the Pro WX 4100's inclusion of many lower-scoring legacy tests. The verdict is clear for compute-heavy tasks: the Pro WX 4100 wins. The Radeon 540's higher average score should be read with caution, as it rests on just two benchmark results.